Okay, wow. This turned out to be really long, and it took me a lot longer to write than I thought it would (mainly because I kept changing my mind about the plot, lol). This is actually the longest one-shot I've ever written, so I'm happy about that... This was written for the sick-fic challenge from the BTR Plot Adoption Forum. The challenge was to write about a given illness, and I got appendicitis, so that's what I wrote about. I tried to make it as accurate as possible, so hopefully, it turned out okay.
I hope you enjoy. :)
It all starts during dance rehearsal, two days before, while the boys are rehearsing for a performance they are supposed to have the next day. Mr. X is standing in front of them, demonstrating a new dance that they are to learn by the end of the day. And the boys, being themselves, are hardly even paying attention.
"Are you boys even listening?" he asks, angrily glaring at the four teens standing in front of him. "The dance for this song isn't easy, and if you boys don't learn it before rehearsal ends today, do you know who Gustavo will blame?"
"Us?" Logan asks in a squeaky voice as he takes ahold of James' shoulders and pushes him in front of him.
"AND ME!"
"Wow, and I thought Gustavo yelled a lot," Carlos whispers as he leans towards Logan, who is cowering behind James in fear.
"Now, I don't expect any of you to be enthusiastic about learning this dance, because trust me, I am not happy I have to stand here and demonstrate it to you over and over. But please, at least listen to me, or else, we're all gonna be in trouble."
"He is right," James says. "Gustavo does get upset rather easily. Plus, you heard him earlier; he wants this performance to be perfect."
"Fine, we'll pay attention," Kendall says from where he's standing to James' left. He walks towards the center of the room, the rest of the boys following suit. "Can we take a break soon though? We've been dancing for two hours straight."
"As long as you learn at least half of the dance within the next hour, yes."
The blond sighs both in relief and annoyance, exhaustion wearing him thin. While he's glad to hear that they will be getting a break soon, he was hoping the older man would be kind enough to let them take a break a bit sooner. He hadn't really gotten much sleep the night before, and now, he wasn't feeling too well. All he wanted in that moment, was for rehearsals to be over, so that they could go back home and he could get some much needed sleep.
"It's just one more hour, it's not too bad," James says as he turns towards him, offering him a smile.
Kendall attempts to smile back, but the brunet can see that the smile is forced, and his own smile slips away.
"You tired?"
"Kind of. I didn't get much sleep last night."
James places a hand on his shoulder and pulls him gently towards him. "Don't worry, dance rehearsal will be over before you know it. Just hang in there."
Kendall doesn't say anything after that, since the music starts playing, and Mr. X starts demonstrating the dance for what feels like the hundredth time that day.
Unfortunately for Kendall, he finds it difficult to keep up with the steps, and not realizing how close he is to Carlos, he is caught off guard when the smaller boy accidentally knocks into him, sending them both falling to the floor.
The air is knocked out of him as he lands on his right side, with Carlos on top of him.
"Whoa! You guys okay?" James asks as Logan grabs Carlos' hand and pulls him to his feet, while he grabs onto Kendall's and attempts to pull him up, only for the shorter boy to groan in protest. "Kendall, are you alright?"
Breathing heavily, the blond lets go of James' hand and closes his eyes, only to open them when he feels someone shaking him. Turning onto his back, he is met by he sight of Logan's face hovering above his.
"You okay, Kendall?" he asks, worry evident in his voice.
"Fine," he breathes out, as he slowly sits up. "I'm okay, that was just really unexpected."
"You sure? You looked like you were in pain for a moment," James points out.
"I'm okay, don't worry." He smiles up at the brunet, before allowing him to pull him to his feet.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you," Carlos says, his eyes locked on his feet, refusing to look Kendall in the eye.
"Don't worry about it, bud, you're good," Kendall says as he pulls him into a hug. "I should've watched where I was standing, too."
Mr. X watches from where he's standing in the front of the room, frowning slightly in agitation. "Okay, I think it's time for a break. But I want you all back here as soon as it's over."
Feeling relived, Kendall walks out of the dance studio and towards the break room, where there are snacks and two couches for the boys to rest. Despite not having had any breakfast that morning, due to running late, he paid no attention to the table of snacks in the middle of the room, and instead took a seat on the couch, where Logan joined him a minute later.
"Hey, you okay? You look pretty tired," he says, eyeing the younger boy, who is leaning against the couch cushions, head lolled to the side, and eyes closed shut. "Plus, that was a pretty nasty fall."
"I'm fine," Kendall responds, cracking his eyes open to look at the smaller teen. "Did Mr. X say how much time we have until we have to go back?"
"About half an hour. Aren't you going to get something to eat? None of us really had much of a breakfast this morning . You must be hungry by now."
"Nah, I'm okay," Kendall says, his eyes drifting shut once more.
Logan frowns at his response and grabs the plate he had previously gotten from the snack table, offering it to the blond. "Here, at least have some crackers. We still have a few hours of dance rehearsal once the break is over. Plus, Gustavo wants us to go over the songs we are supposed to sing tomorrow at the performance. Who knows when we'll be out."
Kendall sighs as he eyes the plate of food, knowing fully well that if he doesn't do as Logan says, he will most likely worry that something is wrong. That's how Logan is – he constantly worries over his friends, and can immediately detect when something is off about them. And while Kendall finds it to be endearing at times, he's not always fond of it – not when it comes to him, at least. He tends to hide how he is feeling, whether that be emotionally or physically, so that he doesn't worry anyone. Knowing that Logan can almost always read him like a book, is something he doesn't like very much.
"Fine." He grabs a few crackers from the plate being offered to him and starts munching on them, praying that Logan will leave so that he can get rid of them. He feels horrible physically and has no appetite, but he doesn't want Logan to figure that out.
To his dismay, the brunet stays by his side until he is sure Kendall has eaten all the crackers.
"Happy?" Kendall asks, clearly annoyed by the older boy's behavior.
"Very," Logan says with a smile, before standing up and throwing his empty plate in the trash. He then walks back towards Kendall, eyeing him closely. "Are you sure you're feeling okay? Because you've seemed off for a couple of hours now. If you're not feeling well, we can talk to Gustavo and—"
"I'm fine, Logan." Kendall pushes himself to his feet, wincing when he feels a sharp pain around the middle of his abdomen. To his relief, Logan doesn't seem to take notice of it. "Will you please stop worrying? I'm okay, I promise. I'm just tired, that's all."
"Alright..." Logan looks up at him, unsure of whether or not he should believe him. "If you weren't feeling well, you'd tell me... right?"
"Yes, now stop worrying." Kendall forces a smile to form on his face and places a hand on Logan's hair, ruffling it endearingly. "I'm okay, promise."
"Everything alright?" James asks as he nears the two boys. Having heard a bit of the conversation, he turns to Kendall, who rolls his eyes at him and sighs in annoyance.
"Yeah, everything's good," he says, before slipping past James and walking back towards the dance studio, not at all ready for the hours that lie ahead.
"What's his problem?" James asks, confused by Kendall's reaction.
Logan frowns as he stares in the direction in which he disappeared to. He knows better than to trust Kendall when he says he's fine. Most of the time, when he denies feeling bad, it's because he's trying to hide something and refuses to admit it. And more times than not, it takes a lot of prodding or until he can no longer bear with whatever's bugging him on his own, for him to finally admit that something is wrong.
"He's just being stubborn... I have a feeling something's up."
"Something like what?" Carlos asks, now standing beside them.
Logan shrugs his shoulders in response. "I don't know, I just have a bad feeling."
"Or, maybe you're overreacting and everything's fine?" Carlos suggests, knowing fully well that Logan does tend to overreact over a lot of things.
"Yeah, maybe..."
"I'm sure that if something's wrong, we'll find out soon enough," James says as he places a hand on Logan's shoulder.
"This is Kendall we're talking about. You know how bull-headed he can be when it comes to his own health."
"Just give it time, Loges," James says softly. "He'll be fine."
Logan isn't really sure he can believe James or Carlos either. It's going to take a lot more than that to ease him from the nagging feeling of worry that has settled in his mind.
"I can't believe Gustavo made us work for twelve hours straight," Kendall groans as he plops himself down on the couch, grabs the remote control, and starts surfing through the channels on the TV. "I'm so tired."
"Well, we do have a performance tomorrow, and you know how he gets when a performance is coming up," Carlos points out as he sits down on the other side of the couch.
"Yeah, I just wish he'd try to take it easy on us. As much as I love singing and dancing, I do not enjoy doing it for practically half of the day."
"On the bright side," James smiles as he sits down beside Carlos and places his feet on the coffee table, "we have the apartment to ourselves for three whole days."
"I still can't believe my mom trusted us enough to leave us alone the whole weekend."
"Correction, she trusted me to look after the three of you."
James rolls his eyes at Logan, who is sitting on one of the barstools in the kitchen with a smug look on his face. "Logan, we're eighteen years old. We don't need you to look after us."
"Then who's gonna make dinner, huh?"
"Again, we're eighteen – we are totally capable of making dinner on our own."
"May I remind you what happened the last time I let you guys make dinner? Carlos practically burned down the whole apartment!"
"You're exaggerating," Kendall mumbles.
"He kind of did..." James says before an elbow connects with his ribcage. "Ow! What was that for?" he asks as he glares at Carlos, who is pouting where he sits.
"For your information, it was the kitchen, not the whole apartment. And you weren't helping."
"None of you were," Logan mumbles as he stands up and walks towards the fridge. "So, what are you guys gonna want for dinner? There's not really much food left over... Maybe I should make a quick run to the store..."
"Ooh, can I come?!" Carlos jumps up from the couch excitedly and rushes to Logan's side. "Pleeeease?" he pleads, pouting in hopes that he'll say yes. A skill he learned from Katie that always works on everyone.
"If you promise to behave..."
"I promise."
"Alright." The slightly taller boy then turns to his other two friends, who don't even seem to be paying attention to him. "You guys want anything from the store? Mama Knight left us some cash, so if you guys want something, I can get it for you."
James shrugs his shoulders in response. "Just get whatever you want. I don't really want anything in particular."
"Okay. Kendall, you want anything?" he asks, turning to his younger friend, who appears to be lost in thought. "Ken?"
Kendall turns to look at him, confusion clear in his face. "What?"
"I'm going to the store. Do you want anything?"
"Oh... no, thanks. I'm actually pretty tired, so I think I'm gonna head to bed a little early. I'll see you guys in the morning." With that being said, he gets up from the couch and makes his way to the room he shares with Logan.
Once he's out of sight, James turns to Logan and Carlos, whose eyes are locked in the direction in which Kendall has disappeared to. "Is it just me, or was that weird?"
"Considering it's eight in the evening, and Kendall usually goes to bed at around twelve... that is kind of weird," Logan says quietly. "I'm getting worried, guys."
"Just give him until morning. If something still seems off about him then, maybe try asking him again. It could be he is just tired. Gustavo did make us work pretty hard today, as well as this whole week. We're all tired," James says.
"Yeah, I guess I could do that..."
"Come on, it'll be fine," Carlos says as he tugs on his arm. "Now, let's go."
Logan can't help but frown as he is pulled towards the front door, and out of the apartment by his smaller, yet stronger, best friend.
Kendall tosses and turns, unable to fall asleep despite the exhaustion that has taken over him. He lays in the dark for what feels like hours, but is only minutes, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position, but the tossing only makes the pain worse, though he blames that on falling pretty hard during dance rehearsal.
He suddenly hears footsteps nearing the room. Knowing that Logan and Carlos have left to the store and haven't returned yet, he knows it's James, who he silently hopes is just making his way to his own room. But as the door quietly creeks open and he sees the silhouette of his best friend in the doorway, he knows that he has run out of luck.
"You awake?" he asks as he nears Kendall's bed, almost tripping over one of the blond's shoes on his way there, due to how dark it is inside.
"Well, it's kind of hard to sleep when you have people barging in here," Kendall says playfully as he reaches for the lamp beside his bed and turns it on. "Why are you in here?" he asks curiously.
James takes a seat on the edge of the bed, while Kendall sits up, wincing when the pain strikes him again. "Just thought I'd check up on you. Are you sure you're okay? You've been acting kind of funny today, and Logan's worried. You didn't hurt yourself when you fell down earlier today, did you?"
Kendall shakes his head, brushing away the hand James has placed on his lap. "M'fine. Just sore from practice and exhausted. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow," he admits.
"Why not?" James asks. "I know Gustavo can be mean and pushy, but we've done this on multiple occasions. What is it about tomorrow that you're not looking forward to?"
"Well, this is our first performance in a while, and it kind of feels like Gustavo has been pushing us so hard lately. I'm just tired."
"I know, buddy." James pats his knee, earning a small smile to appear on Kendall's face. "It'll be okay, just get some rest. You don't want to be this tired tomorrow," he says, before standing up and making his way to the door. "Get some sleep. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Jay," Kendall mutters as he watches him walk out of the room, closing the door behind him.
He turns off the lamp and carefully lies back down, pulling his blanket all the way up to his chin, and closes his eyes, hoping sleep will come his way soon enough.
It is around three in the morning when the pain starts hitting him again, only worse than before. He stares at the digital clock sitting on the nightstand beside his bed – the numbers 3:14 being the only thing he is able to distinguish in the darkness that is draped over the room.
He sits up and swings his legs over the edge of the bed, careful not to make any noise, so that he doesn't wake up Logan, who is sound asleep only a few feet away.
He quietly walks out of the room and closes the door. He makes his way towards the kitchen and opens the fridge, rummaging through its contents and pulling out a plate of spaghetti that was probably left over from that very evening. While he's hungry, the sight of it only makes him queasy, so he closes the refrigerator door and makes his way to the couch to take a seat.
Once there, he curls in on himself. He feels chilly, to the point in which he wonders if the apartment is really as cold as it feels, or if there's something seriously wrong with him.
I can't get sick, not now, he thinks. He grabs a blanket that is folded on the other side of the couch and wraps it around his body, hoping it'll warm him up, but it doesn't. Gustavo is going to kill me if I am.
He watches the clock that is hanging on the wall in front of the couch. Its ticking is the only sound that can be heard throughout the apartment, and the only thing that seems to be distracting him from his current thoughts. It doesn't distract him from how awful he feels, though – it doesn't make the pain go away.
Having had enough of the pain, and realizing that it will not let him sleep, he pulls himself to his feet and makes his way towards the bathroom. He gingerly searches for the light switch in the dark, clicking it on once he finds it. He then opens the medicine cabinet, and grabs a bottle of pain killers that is inside it and takes two of them.
To his disappointment, even after over half an hour has passed, he finds himself lying awake, staring up at the ceiling in agony. He spends over two hours tossing from side to side, feeling absolutely horrible, until exhaustion finally gets the best of him and he falls into a restless sleep.
"You look like crap." That's the first thing Carlos says as Kendall trudges into the kitchen the next morning. Saying he looks like crap is nothing but an understatement. He doesn't just look like crap – he feels like it, too.
"Thanks, Los. I appreciate the honesty," Kendall responds, trying to lighten the mood, but Carlos' comment has earned the attention of James and Logan, who had previously been engaged in an argument over what to watch on TV.
"Did you even sleep last night?" Logan asks. "You look awful." He walks towards the taller boy and looks him up and down, frowning when he notices that Kendall's standing hunched over. He can't tell if it's from exhaustion, or if standing up straight is causing him any pain, and he knows that if he asks him, he won't give him an honest answer.
Kendall sighs, pushing away the hand that Logan has lifted towards his forehead. "I slept fine," he says as he makes his way towards the island in the kitchen and takes a seat next to Carlos.
"Kendall..."
"What?" the blond asks, clearly tired of all the prodding and not-so-helpful comments.
"Will you just admit you're not feeling well? You look beyond exhausted."
"I would if I wasn't feeling well, but I'm fine. Now, will you stop questioning me?"
Logan is hurt by the comment, but he does his best to hide it as he sits down in front of Kendall, his mouth formed into a tight line. "The worst that could happen if you're not feeling well, would be that the performance gets cancelled and Gustavo gets upset, or we perform as a trio... and Gustavo gets upset. But really, that is nothing out of the ordinary; he's always upset. I would rather have him be upset at all four of us, than have you pass out mid-performance because of how sleep-deprived you are."
"Logie," Kendall sighs, his eyes boring into Logan's, "I'm okay. I'll be okay, don't worry."
"You're my best friend... Just because you tell me not to worry, doesn't mean I'll stop."
Kendall smiles, grateful to have a friend like Logan. As much as he hates how observant the older boy can be, he is thankful to have someone who cares so much. "Thanks, Loges, I appreciate it. If I don't feel well enough, I'll let you know, okay?"
"Promise?" Logan asks, hoping that Kendall is being honest with him this time.
"I promise."
Things don't get better. An hour before the performance, as they are getting ready to leave to the venue, they get worse. Much worse.
"Shhh, it's okay, you're okay."
Logan is sitting beside Kendall on the bathroom floor, as he dry heaves into the toilet. He rubs the sick teen's back in an attempt to console him, not knowing what else to do to make him feel better at that very moment.
"James!" he yells, relieved to find said boy standing in the bathroom doorway within seconds. "Call Gustavo and tell him we're not performing."
"What?! Why me? Do you know how upset he's gonna be?"
Logan sighs and pushes himself to his feet. "Stay with Kendall, I'll call him."
James only nods as he takes a seat next to Kendall, wincing when the blond starts to throw up the small amount of food he has eaten throughout the day. When he's finished, Kendall slumps back against James' awaiting arms, his cheeks tinted pink due to both the fever raging through his body and in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry," he rasps out, his throat burning when he speaks.
"Don't be," James says, tugging Kendall closer. "You're sick, that's not your fault."
"I ruined everything. You guys should just go to the performance without me."
"And leave you here by yourself?" Logan asks, having returned and heard what Kendall had said. "No way that's happening."
"Logie—"
"Save it. You're sick, don't try to deny it. You need to get some rest, or else you won't get better anytime soon."
"Come on, buddy." With the help of James, Kendall stands up, swaying on his feet as soon as he has both feet planted on the ground. "Damn, you really are sick. And really warm... you have a fever," James says, placing a hand against Kendall's clammy forehead.
"Get him to bed. I'll be there soon to take his temperature and check up on him."
James nods at Logan's command and pulls Kendall towards his room, supporting most of his weight on their way there.
"Is Kendall okay?" Carlos asks from where he's standing in the middle of the living room, looking quite worried.
"Just sick. He should be fine," Logan responds. If he actually listens to me, he thinks to himself. To Carlos, he says, "Don't worry, Los. He'll be okay," before going over to the bathroom and grabbing a thermometer and a bottle of fever reducers, and then going over to the kitchen and filling up a glass with water.
He walks towards their shared bedroom, pushing the door open with his back, and takes the few steps to Kendall's beside, where the blond is laying, head buried against his pillow, and his whole body practically buried underneath three layers of blankets.
He stares at James, a look that screams disbelief crossing his face. "What?" the younger brunet asks, confused by the look he's being given.
"Three blankets? Really, James?"
"He said he was cold," James retorts.
"Yes, but covering him with too many blankets is not going to help. He might overheat, and that wouldn't be good."
"Well, I'm not a future doctor like you."
Logan rolls his eyes at the taller brunet's excuse. "You don't have to be a doctor to know that, genius." He then turns to Kendall and grabs two of the blankets covering his bedridden best friend. "Sorry, Ken, one will have to do."
Kendall's eyes flutter open and he opens his mouth, as if ready to say something, but before he can get anything out, he is sent into a coughing fit. When he's done coughing, he just stares blankly ahead for a few seconds while James pats his back. "I'm sorry," he mumbles, once he is able to catch his breath. "I'm sorry for worrying you."
"Don't. We're your friends – it's our job to worry about you and look after you if you need it, even if you don't want us to. Now, open up," Logan orders, forcing the thermometer to slip past Kendall's lips.
When he pulls it out, he stares at the little numbers, a frown sketched on his face.
"Well?" James asks impatiently.
"100.3. Not too bad, but still not good. Try taking some medicine, okay? It'll help lower your fever and hopefully help you feel better," Logan says, but Kendall doesn't budge. "Come on, buddy, sit up." He helps him sit up, with the help of James, and hands him two tablets, and then guides the glass of water to his lips.
"I'm not a baby," Kendall finally speaks, slurring his words as he slumps back against the mattress. "I can do it on my own."
"God, you're so stubborn," Logan mutters.
Kendall glares in his direction. "I can hear you, ya know."
"Good, because if you had listened to me earlier, perhaps you wouldn't feel as crappy as you do now."
"Give him a break, Loges. The poor kid looks like death."
"Geez, what do you say about me when I'm not around?"
"He's not lying, you do look pretty bad, no offense," Carlos says from the doorway.
"Thanks, offense fully taken."
Carlos walks towards the bed, plopping himself down at the foot of the bed, near Kendall's feet. "I'm just kidding... sort of. How are you feeling?"
Kendall sighs, upset by all the attention he's getting. He has never liked being the center of attention – not in this way, at least. He doesn't like it when people see him being vulnerable, especially not his best friends. As much as he loves all three of them and appreciates how much they all care about him, he doesn't appreciate being bombarded with question after question, or being made out to be someone who requires constant attention. He hates that.
"I'm fine..."
"Will you stop lying?" Logan says, frustrated by the boy's denial of the obvious. "It's pretty clear to see that you are not 'fine.' It's written all over your face. Someone who's fine, does not throw up or have a fever. You also haven't really eaten much since yesterday."
"You make it sound like I'm dying... And I told you, I'm not hungry."
Logan sighs. He should be used to Kendall's stubbornness by now, but he hates how the blond puts so much effort into hiding how he's really feeling all the time. It only makes things harder on everyone, and Kendall doesn't seem to realize that, because he's too determined to hide how he's really feeling behind a façade. A façade Logan often doesn't fall for.
"You need to eat, Ken. I know you don't want to, but you can't stop eating just because you don't feel well."
"I'll throw it back up," Kendall mutters. "I've had enough of that for one day."
"At least let me make you some toast and ginger ale, okay? If you eat that, I won't force you to eat anything else."
"Fine."
"Thank you." Logan smiles triumphantly, before turning around and making his way out of the room.
"Umm, I don't mean to sound rude, but can you guys leave?" Kendall asks James and Carlos, who are watching him like hawks.
"Oops, sorry." Carlos stands up, pushing James out of the room along with him.
"If you need anything, just call!" James yells over his shoulder, before Carlos pulls the door closed behind them.
His head is pounding harshly against his skull, and the coughing has gotten moderately worse. The pain he had felt before has moved to the lower right part of his abdomen, and each cough leaves him out of breath and in an unbearable amount of pain.
He staggers to his feet as he feels a wave of nausea wash over him, but the movement only causes the pain in his abdomen to become even worse.
He involuntarily lets out a whimper and wraps his arms around his middle, feeling tears starting to pool around his eyes. I'm dying, he thinks as he unsteadily makes his way towards the bathroom. Once there, he falls to his knees in front of the toilet and lets out a pained cry, before he starts throwing up once more.
"Kendall?" Having heard him cry out, Carlos rushes to the bathroom and pushes the door open, gasping when he is met by the sight in front of him. "Oh God... Kendall, are you okay? Why am I even asking you this, you clearly aren't. I'm getting Logan."
"No!" Kendall rasps out and reaches for Carlos' arm. "Please... don't." There are tears running down his face and vomit running down his chin. This is probably the most sick Carlos has ever seen him – or any of the boys for that matter – and it scares him.
The older boy pulls his arm out of Kendall's grasp and looks down at him, guilt reflected in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispers before walking out of the room.
Carlos comes to a halt in front of Logan's bed, shuffling his feet against the carpeted floor as he then moves to the left side of it. He lets out a shaky breath, and takes ahold of the brunet's shoulder and starts shaking him.
"Logan. Logan, wake up," he says in a frightened voice, shaking him harder when the only response he gets is, "Carlos, go back to sleep. It's too early for this."
"Logan, please wake up. Something's wrong with Kendall. I don't think he's okay."
The fear in the smaller boy's voice is what forces Logan to fully awaken. He sits up in bed, groggily reaching towards the lamp that is set beside his bed, so that he can actually see in the dark. "What's going on? What do you mean he's not okay?" As he says this, he turns to Kendall's bed, only to find it empty. The blond is nowhere in sight.
"He's in the bathroom," Carlos says, his brown eyes filled with fear. "He... It's not good. He's been throwing up, and he's just... he's not okay, Logan. He didn't want me to wake you up, but I'm scared..."
Logan's only half-listening to Carlos as he gets out of bed in a rush and runs in the direction of the bathroom, with Carlos hot on his heels.
"Oh my God..."
Kendall is sitting on the floor, his back against the bathtub, and head limply resting against it. When he sees Logan in the doorway, he doesn't even flinch.
"Kendall, are you okay? What's wrong?" the older boy asks as he kneels down in front of the blond.
"It hurts. It hurts so much. Please make it stop." There are tears coating his cheeks, and Logan would be lying if he said that the sight doesn't scare him. Kendall rarely cries, and he never admits when he's feeling bad, so he knows that if he's willing to admit that something is hurting him, it must be something serious.
"What hurts? I need you to tell me what hurts, so that I can figure out what's wrong." That's when he notices that Kendall has his arms wrapped tightly around his stomach. "Does your stomach hurt?" he asks, but Kendall's only answer is a shake of his head. And then it suddenly hits him. The vomiting, the fever, the chills, the way Kendall seems to be in an unbearable amount of pain, which he refused to admit until that very moment.
"I'm sorry, Ken." Knowing there's only one way for him to know what is really wrong with his best friend, he lightly presses his hand against the bottom right side of Kendall's belly, and then quickly removes it. Kendall cries out when the pressure is released, his tears now falling at a rapid pace.
"Wake up James," Logan tells Carlos, trying not to let the fear he is feeling show when he speaks.
"What's wrong with Kendall...?" Carlos asks in a small voice.
"I'll explain at the hospital. Hurry up and call James."
"H-hospital?" Kendall chokes out.
"You have appendicitis, Kendall. I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner."
"I don't wanna g-go to the hospital—"
"We have to. Come on." Careful not to cause the blond any more pain, he takes ahold of one of his arms and places it over his shoulder.
"A-am I dying?" For the first time in what feels like forever, Logan can hear the fear in Kendall's voice. "I don't want to die..."
Despite knowing fully well that appendicitis can result in death if not treated quickly right after the appendix ruptures, Logan can't tell him that. He can only imagine how guilty, horrible and afraid Kendall must be – he is not about to tell him he could die and risk sending him into a panic attack in a time like this.
"What the hell is going on?" James appears in the doorway, followed by Carlos, who is clinging on to him for dear life. "Oh my God, what happened?"
"No time to explain, we need to get Kendall to the hospital. Carlos, go get the car keys. James, please help me get Kendall to the car."
James nods and grabs onto Kendall's other arm, and together, they drag the blond all the way to the Palm Woods parking lot.
"Open the door," Logan tells Carlos. The smaller boy follows his orders, before moving to the side, so that Logan and James can help Kendall get inside the car. "Can you drive?" he asks James, who nods in response. "Please, hurry," he says while he climbs into the back with Kendall and Carlos takes the passenger's seat.
Once James has started driving, Logan turns to Kendall, who is as white as a sheet and breathing heavily. "You're burning up... that's not good," he says, pressing the back of his hand to Kendall's forehead and cheeks. "God, Kendall, I'm so sorry."
Kendall's eyes open a bit when he hears Logan apologize, and he reaches in the dark for Logan's hand, holding it tightly – or as tightly as he can, since he doesn't have much strength – in his own. "Not your fault," he slurs, "mine."
"No." Logan feels like crying as he watches Kendall with frightened eyes, knowing fully well what could happen if they don't get to the hospital in time. "It's not your fault, Ken," he whispers as he carefully pulls the younger boy closer. "You didn't know how serious it was. You're not to blame."
Kendall doesn't say anything, as his eyes roll to the back of his head and he passes out in Logan's arms. "Kendall...? Kendall, wake up!" he lightly pats his cheek, hoping that the action will wake him up, but it doesn't. Pressing his index and middle fingers against Kendall's wrist, he sighs in relief when he finds a pulse there. "James, please hurry. We don't have much time."
"I'm going as fast as I can," James shoots back. "And what do you mean by 'we don't have much time'? What's going on, Logan?"
"He's passed out, which of course, isn't good. But what I mean is, his fever has spiked since the last time we took it, and if I'm not mistaken, he has appendicitis."
"What's that?" Carlos asks from where he's sitting.
Logan sighs, feeling too worried to be explaining this to them right now, but he knows that he should. "Appendicitis is when the appendix becomes inflamed, causing pain in the lower right side of the abdomen, and can cause other symptoms, like a fever, vomiting, chills, nausea – all of which Kendall has. If not treated right away, the appendix could rupture..."
"And... what happens if it ruptures?" James asks, unsure of whether or not he wants to hear the answer to that.
"If the appendix ruptures, and no immediate medical help is given... it could be fatal."
"W-wait, Kendall could die?!" Carlos stammers out. The only response he gets from Logan is a small nod.
"That's why I'm saying we don't have much time! Kendall's fever is dangerously high, which could mean that it has already ruptured. We have no time to waste."
Anxiety runs through his veins, wrapping itself around him and leaving him struggling to breathe. He stares at the ticking clock on the wall and taps his foot against the white tile floor impatiently. It's been fifteen minutes – fifteen minutes since they got to the hospital and Kendall was wheeled out of their sight in a gurney by a group of doctors. The waiting is killing him. Sometimes he hates being the doctor in training in the group, because that means he has more knowledge in the medical field than Kendall, Carlos and James combined. Which means he has spent countless amount of hours inspecting illness after illness, and is aware of the symptoms and risks that come with each one. Perhaps that is why he feels so guilty.
"I'm scared," Carlos speaks for the first time since they got there, turning towards Logan. "I don't want to lose Kendall. Big Time Rush wouldn't be the same without Kendall. Nothing would be the same without Kendall. We wouldn't be the same without Kendall. He's the glue that keeps us together; the one that keeps us grounded. What are we going to do?"
"Carlos." Logan lets out a loud breath, fighting back the urge to yell at Carlos for saying things that are only making his anxiety skyrocket. "Carlos, you can't think like that. Kendall will be okay. Just because I said a ruptured appendix can result in death, does not mean he will die."
"What are they gonna do to him?" James asks from where he's sitting to Carlos' left, two seats away from Logan.
"Well, depends on how severe his case of appendicitis is. If it's not that severe and his appendix hasn't ruptured, he'll probably be prescribed antibiotics and sent home. But if it's severe, or if his appendix has ruptured, the doctor will most likely want to perform an open appendectomy."
Carlos and James stare at him with blank expressions. "A what?" they ask in unison.
Logan rolls his eyes at the two of them. "It's a surgery to remove the appendix and clean the abdominal cavity. When the appendix ruptures, the bacteria in it can spread to the abdomen, or abscess can develop once it bursts, and both scenarios can lead to death, if not treated right away. That's why he needs to have immediate surgery if it has ruptured, which judging by how badly he was when we brought him in, and taking into account all the symptoms he portrayed before that, I believe it most likely has."
"So... if he does have the surgery, once it's over, he should be back to normal?"
"Not exactly... They'll most likely want to keep him here for at least twenty-four hours after the operation to observe him, so that the doctors can make sure nothing goes wrong."
"What could go wrong?" Carlos asks, tears pooling in his eyes.
"Don't worry, Litos. Appendectomies are often not risky. The worst thing that could happen, is that he may develop an infection after surgery, but most people recover with no complications. So I think he should be okay."
"Then why do you look so nervous?" James asks, noticing the way Logan won't stop fidgeting in his seat, and keeps playing with his hands – a habit he developed at a young age, that often indicated he was feeling anxious.
"Just worried, I guess..."
"He did look pretty awful when we got here," Carlos mumbles.
"Not helping, Carlos."
"Sorry."
"I just hate waiting," he breathes out. "It'll probably be a while until they tell us anything, though. If they're performing surgery, it'll take at least ninety minutes." He leans back against his chair and sighs, letting his eyes drift shut.
Please just be okay, he thinks. We can't lose you – not now... not ever.
"Kendall Knight?"
It is two hours later when a male doctor, who appears to be around his late thirties or early forties, says Kendall's name, earning the attention of the three boys that are consumed with worry.
"Is he okay?" Logan is the first to speak up as he quickly stands up and makes his way towards him, followed closely by James and Carlos.
"You're here for Kendall Knight?"
"Yes. We're his... brothers," James says.
The man gives them a questioning look, as if he doesn't believe that the boys are actually related, which they aren't – not by blood, at least. But that doesn't mean anything. They're closer than most boys their age, and would do anything for each other. They may not be brothers by blood, but they are bonded by years of friendship and memories.
"Can you please just tell us how he's doing?" Logan pleads. "We've been here for about two hours, worried sick. We just want to know if he's okay."
"He should be just fine."
Logan feels the air leave his lungs and a great weight being lifted off his shoulders as soon as he hears those words, relief flooding over him.
"Your... brother is very lucky," he says, grinning when the boys smile back at him gratefully. "When he got here, his appendix had ruptured. We performed an open appendectomy on him, so if everything goes well, he should be fine. But, if you had gotten here even a few minutes later, he might not have been as lucky. Appendicitis is a serious matter. It can be fatal when not treated immediately."
"Can we see him?" Carlos asks impatiently, and the doctor nods in response.
"You can, but it'll probably be at least an hour until the anesthesia wears off. I can take you to his room, if you'd like." All three boys nod eagerly in response. "Okay, follow me."
They're lead up to the second floor and down several corridors, before the man stops in front of a door. "I usually do not allow more than two people to go in at a time, but I will this one time. Just be very cautious and quiet. He will probably be very tired and sluggish when he wakes up, so try to go easy on him."
"We will," Logan promises.
Being as quiet as possible, the doctor pushes the door open and allows the boys to walk in, before following closely behind.
The boys freeze as the sight of their best friend comes into view. The blond, who is often perceived as fearless, unbreakable and invincible, is now lying on a hospital bed, a crisp white blanket draped over his body. There are monitors beside his bed, and there is a thin plastic tube that goes into his nose. He looks small and fragile, which is something they are not used to seeing.
"What are the monitors and tube for?" Carlos asks, looking back at the doctor in confusion.
"The tube is there to remove stomach fluids. Once his bowels are working like they should, it will be removed. As for the monitors, they're there so that we can keep an eye on his vital signs, such as his breathing and heart rate. He will be moved to a hospital room as soon as he wakes up and is alert, this is only temporary."
"Okay, that makes sense," the little Latino says, turning his attention back to Kendall.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to check in on another patient, but I'll be back in a bit to see if he has woken up."
"Alright, thank you," Logan says as he watches him leave the room.
Once he's gone, James is the first to step forward, pausing only when he reaches Kendall's bedside. "He looks so... fragile," he whispers, saying what they're all thinking as he takes ahold of Kendall's hand and gently holds it in his own.
Logan grabs Carlos by the shoulders and pushes him forward along with him. "He's not Superman, James. He's Kendall, he's only human."
"I guess it's easy to forget that sometimes, because he always tries so hard to act like he is some sort of superhero."
"I know," Logan says, and he does. To anyone outside of their little group, Kendall appears to be some sort of fearless leader, who never allows anything to bring him down. But they've known him long enough to know that that's not always the case. After all, even Superman has a weakness – kryptonite.
"You really scared us, you goof," James mumbles in an angry tone, before breaking into a smile. "It's nice to see you're okay, Ken. So please, don't ever do that again."
"I didn't know it was appendicitis. If I'd known—"
"If you'd known, you still would've denied something was wrong," Logan cuts him off.
"I wouldn't have."
"Yes, you would have," Carlos says from where he's sitting on one of the chairs beside Kendall's hospital bed, munching on a bag of Fruit Smackers he bought from a vending machine.
"Shut up, Carlos."
"Geez, someone's bitter," James comments under his breath, causing Kendall to glare in his direction. "Sorry, buddy, but I'm not gonna lie... it's fun to tease you, especially since you can't really do anything about it."
"Just wait until I'm out of here. You won't know what hit you."
Logan smiles as he watches the interaction between the two, happy to see that Kendall seems to be doing a lot better than before.
"Seriously, though," Logan starts, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, "don't ever do that to us again. If you're feeling sick, please tell us. I know you hate the attention, but we almost lost you, Ken. We were worried sick."
"I'm sorry." The previous playful tone is gone from his voice, and is now replaced by one of guilt. "I really messed up this time, didn't I?"
"I'm not saying it's your fault," the brunet clarifies, "nor am I trying to make you feel bad. You have no reason to apologize. You couldn't have known that it was something serious... though I'm sure you must've been in a hell of a lot of pain."
"I was trying not to worry you guys," Kendall mumbles, fidgeting with his blanket. "But I seem to have done the complete opposite."
"We're just thankful you're okay, Ken. That's all that really matters right now; that you're okay."
"You ready to go home?" Logan asks as he walks into Kendall's hospital room the next day, a bag held in one hand.
"Beyond ready," Kendall says with a smile. He then nods towards the bag, knitting his eyebrows together in a questioning manner. "What's in the bag?"
"Well, I dropped James and Carlos off at the apartment, and grabbed some clothes for you to change. Also..." he pauses, stuffing one hand into the bag and looking up at Kendall, "you're gonna love what I got you."
"What did you get me?"
"Close your eyes." Kendall groans but does as he is told. "Now, hold your hands out."
With a huff, Kendall complies, caught off guard when something soft and fuzzy lands in the palms of his hands. "You didn't..."
"Isn't it cute?"
"Logaaan, I'm not eight," the younger boy whines as he inspects the fuzzy, grey elephant with giant blue eyes that is grasped in between his fingers.
"He's adorable, though. Ooh, squeeze his tummy!"
"Why...?"
"Just do it."
Kendall sighs but squeezes the elephant's tummy anyway, grinning from ear to ear when a high-pitched "I love you!" comes from the stuffed animal.
"That's adorable, Logie. Thank you." He smiles and stands up, taking the couple of steps towards the brunet and wrapping his arms around him in a hug. "You're the best."
"I know," Logan says jokingly, placing his chin on Kendall's shoulder as he hugs him back. "I'm glad you liked it."
"I loved it," Kendall says, pulling back. "Can we get out of here now? I'm tired of being locked up in this hospital room."
"It's only been a day, Kendall."
"Correction: thirty-two hours, AKA, way too long."
Logan rolls his eyes but laughs at the annoyed expression on Kendall's face. "Yeah, we can leave as soon as you change, so hurry up."
"Don't laugh. You would be annoyed too, if you had to be locked up in here for this long."
"Yeah, yeah. Now hurry up, or else we'll be here another hour," he threatens, which seems to do the trick, since Kendall is changed into regular clothes and ready to go within a couple of minutes.
"Don't forget Dumbo," Logan warns, pointing to the little elephant that is lying on the hospital bed.
"Dumbo? You named him Dumbo?" Kendall chuckles and grabs the elephant, shaking it in front of Logan's face playfully. "Dumbo..."
"Be quiet. It suits him."
Kendall only smiles at Logan as they walk out of the room, closing the door behind them. "If you say so, Logie-Bear. If you say so."
"I told you not to call me that," the brunet whines.
"Aww, why not?" Kendall pouts, before grinning at his best friend and laughing out loud. "It suits you."
"Shut up."
That ending was... odd. I honestly just ran out of ideas towards the end, so that's what I came up with. What did you guys think? I hope you liked it. :) Thank you for reading.
~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)